UN Program Director Updates and News 2018

Maureen Burns-Bowie

​We welcome you to the UN Program as we begin a new year. A year that promises to be tumultuous and unpredictable here in the United States, but also at the United Nations. In my first update, I share with you the New Year's greeting from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Usually these greetings are predictable -- such as the UN community looking forward to hard work for positive change. Not so this year. The SG's words are more ominous and cautionary. We all clearly have a lot of work ahead of us.

I am, however, seeing some new developments at the UN Program. We have recently had an increase in the number of women expressing interest in learning more about what we are doing, and in participating in UN activities. We have more who will be sharing their art and activism activities as well as attending UN events and reporting on their experiences. I find this level of participation encouraging and hopeful.

And I am especially proud of our two new Youth Representatives to the UN. They have a remarkable degree of maturity and insight.

When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace.Unfortunately – in fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse. On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert -- a red alert for our world. Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War. Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise. As we begin 2018, I call for unity. I truly believe we can make our world more safe and secure. We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values. But we can only do that together.

I urge leaders everywhere to make this New Year’s resolution: Narrow the gaps. Bridge the divides. Rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals.

When I asked my mother: “How can you be so optimistic after losing your family in the Holocaust?” Her answer was: “The Evil has already happened, from now on Life should be Good”.

As a daughter of Holocaust Survivors Paula and Mordechai Fried, and as an Artist-Sculptor, I feel it is my obligation to present a visual message preserving the stories I have personally heard.My Childhood ‘Fairy Tales’ were my mother’s nostalgic stories about her happy childhood and family in Czechoslovakia before WWII. Growing up I realized that most of the family members I knew from my mother’s vivid stories, didn’t survive. It haunted me with a painful feeling of loss.

After my mother’s passing (January 2012) I started using my art to raise interest in the Holocaust, bytelling one woman’s personal story that relates to many others and is important to humanity.I am not describing how it was there…I am expressing my mother’s journey through intuitive emotional interpretations and symbols. I chose to use humble materials, as wire mesh, rusty metal, reused and found objects to express the beauty of imperfection and the idea that everything and everyone can contribute to life. My semi abstract wire mesh figures entwined together swirling like wisps of smoke expressing close connections of people who found themselves in a space they could not escape from.I tear wire mesh in shapes of letters, words and open wounds for the families that were torn apart and as a Jewish act of ‘Kriah’ (tearing in Hebrew) that is done at the cemetery as an expression of grief.

I brought my mother and her stories to life through the healing power of art, the same way she brought to life the memory of her lost family with endless stories. My main inspiration is the story of my mother, who was sorting clothes of the victims in Auschwitz-Birkenau at age 18, and how she came upon 8 photographs of her lost family. She was hiding the photos inside bread until liberation day.In my works, I use copies of those 8 family photos, along with bread, old hangers, and clothes - materials that connect to my mother’s past, each memory transformed into a contemporary artwork that is memorizing those who lost their life as well as embracing survival and the creation of new life.

My mother’s personal story is intertwined with the tragedy of human history, wrapped with her optimistic spirit and hope for a better future. My goal is to evoke public awareness for next generations, while we still have Holocaust denials and Genocides around the world.

​Danielle Eubank - Expedition ArtistHer work bestrides the line between abstraction and representation. She is looking for the tipping point between the conceptual and visible. She considers the forms created by ripples in a pond or the lines of receding waves a foundation for deconstruction. She creates patterns within patterns, representing vertical stacks of rhythms in the physical matter she paints.Through the theme of water, she explores natural forms and the consequences of the human footprint on landscapes all over the world. Destruction surrounds many sites where she paints water. Her work features cigarette butts, oil slicks, and drinks cans. Looking for formal value is her way of coping with the destruction.Her work highlights questions of proximity that brings the subject right up to the surface of the canvas, almost into the viewer's space. By layering the paint with broad brushstrokes, She invite the viewer to appreciate the physical, painterly qualities that form the depth of that experience.Danielle Eubank is an expedition artist in pursuit of painting all of the major bodies of water in the world. She is beginning by painting all of Earth’s oceans. She is currently painting the second to last ocean on her list, the Arctic Ocean. So far, she has painted all of the other oceans but one, as well as water in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Asia. Eubank has painted around 200 bodies, in and around 21 countries.

​__________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE #3​ Meet Our Two New Youth Representatives to the UN

I am once again proud to introduce our two new Youth Representatives who will be attending UN Briefings and earning 2 credits through CUNY.Reading their moving accounts of what attracted them to this internship, I thank Liz DiGiorgio for her wisdom in choosing them.​ Maureen Burns-Bowie

Cynthia Luizia​When I was eight years old, my parents took my sisters and me to Haiti. This was my first trip abroad. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to be going to the place where my parents and all my relatives grew up, the place their language, Creole, was born. Upon arrival, however, my excitement was replaced by something else, and I learned a lot of things very quickly. The first most obvious thing I learned was that Haiti was not like United States. There was heat that I had never experience in my eight years of life. Second, it was so crowded. Everywhere I looked, it felt like there were too many people. The buses, which people rode on top of, and the streets that were covered in trash were crowded. Even the small river that ran by the side of my grandmother’s house was crowded, as that was where people would come to wash their clothes. It wasn’t just a culture shock but a new world. However, when I looked up at my parent’s faces, they were smiling. This was their home after all.There was no electricity, not in my grandmother’s house, nor my aunt’s house. Either it wasn’t working or it had just stopped working. However, I would be fascinated as they would light lanterns that looked like big glass roses. Still, I was scared. How could a place be so dark at night? How could two places on the same Earth be so different? It felt like all the comforts that I had in the United States were absent there. This was a place where people received fresh drinking water in packets. That was my first experience with a developing country.Though eventually I did have a lot of fun there, when I returned home to the United States, I was immensely grateful for everything that I had and for being able to return to it. That is when I first learned that Haiti was a developing country and I learned what Haiti and other developing countries were lacking compared to my own country, the United States. That is when I learned what a first world country was. Thus, my curiosity about my parent’s country and other countries like it was born, and through that curiosity I learned something else, among other things, that broke my heart. I learned that the world was a very scary place for a woman.These are things I’ve grown aware of and think about every day. These are topics that I find very hard to ignore as they hit close to home. I always thought that if I were given the opportunity to help, even a little bit, I would. As I got older and I began to develop skill in art, I decided to focus on that as a career. I decided that one day I would establish that as a platform to speak about all those things that bother me, especially when it comes to women. I want my art to translate into something positive and beautiful, but at time same time help provide awareness to women who suffer every day and be their voice. I want to not only expose global issues but also the social issues and pressures that suffocate women like me and those who identify as women as well. Therefore, I would be thrilled to be given the opportunity to become a youth representative for the Woman’s Caucus for Art. I believe it would the perfect first step in accomplishing that dream and making it a reality.

Christine Moore

​ Change Through the Women's Caucus for Art

As someone who grew up with the emergence of the internet and social media, I was able to have constant access to current events and global issues from a young age. The first global event that I remember being moved by was the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At eleven years old, this was the first major event that I was able to fully comprehend. The attacks and their aftermath made me more aware of global issues. From then on, I have been fully immersed in global issues and how we all can help to resolve them.Today’s world still has many global issues that are in need of a resolution. From longstanding issues such as, poverty, homelessness, lack of education and the constant fight for both civil and women's rights to more current events like refugees from war torn countries and displaced people from the recent hurricanes. Global issues are important to me because I believe that everyone should have the ability to live freely with the access to food, shelter and education. I truly believe that this should be everyone’s end goal. Awareness for these issues along with many others, keeps these issues in the forefront so that they are never forgotten. The fight to bring awareness and resolving these global issues are a fight for a better world that not only I would live in, but future generations as well.I feel that it is now on my generation to spark global change because we have an unbelievable amount of access to the entire globe. I look at someone like Malala Yousafzai, who recently started classes at Oxford five years after she was shot for speaking up for girls to have the right to an education. She started by writing a blog about her life during the Taliban’s occupation of her hometown. Even though she was constantly in danger and threatened with death, she never feared writing about the injustices that she and many girls were going through. This proves that we can use the internet and social media to bring awareness through our Twitter and Facebook accounts, blogging, writing and art. Art in my opinion, is an amazing way to express your opinion globally. Art is a universal language and can be understood by anyone, without unfortunate language barriers. Art is also expressive and can evoke emotion to allow the viewer to gain empathy for someone or something that they aren't familiar with.This is why I am interested in the Women’s Caucus for Art Internship at the United Nations. The United Nations, since its inception in 1945, has done countless things to help advance the awareness and resolution of global issues. Knowing that the UN constantly strives for peace, is one of the reasons that I would love to be a part of this internship. Another reason why this internship interests me is because art is a major vehicle used to promote peace and change, especially for women, who are underrepresented in today's society. The use of art can be used to speak to women all across the globe. Learning that the Women's Caucus for Art is committed to the advancement of women, equality and the betterment of the globe, makes me proud that an organization like this currently exists, and I would be proud to serve as a WCA/UN DPI Youth Representative.

UN/DPI Briefing on Sexual Abuse Joyce Ellen Weinstein

I have to admit, it was not a little awe inspiring to sit on the beautifully appointed leather arm chair behind the long arched desk that accommodates many, with my very own microphone and listening device in conference Room 3 at the United Nations today, Jan 18, 2018.

Jeff Brez, Chief of NGO Relations introduced the moderator, Ms. Raeshem Nijhon and speaker Ms. Jane Connors for the first briefing of the 2018 season on victim’s rights. Both women have long and impressive resumes, so I will take the liberty of summarizing them. Ms. Nijhon is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the NYC based company Fictionless. Currently she is working in partnership on the documentary “The Agreement” with the Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for women and girls, committed to education on sexual health and safety among many other projects.

Ms. Jane Connors is the United Nations Victims Rights Advocate on sexual exploitation and abuse. Previously she served as the Director of International Advocacy for Amnesty international. She has held many positions at the UN including at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Surprisingly, according to Ms. Connors, this new important position of Advocate is only for one year. Ms. Connors was very explicit in saying that advocate is not necessarily about the “legal” but more importantly she acts as a spokesperson and information gatherer. She says modern technology allows information to be gathered from the remotest parts of the world, where the greatest amount of victimization occurs, and has made victims rights at the forefront of women in leadership positions at the United Nations.

The primary focus of this conference was to bring to the fore the crises of exploitation by peacekeepers; those who work in the field; those who hold power; and UN workers who abuse the power they hold. This abuse of power is devastating to its victims and compromises the UNs ability to do its work. According to Ms Connors the Secretary General is at the forefront of an effort to raise awareness and eliminate these abuses, and that victims rights advocacy is a new role for the UN. In order to justify the need for the committee it was pointed out that many countries throughout the world already have victim’s right advocacy, whose primary agenda is to call attention to the need for dignity as well as rights for the victim.

The most realistic achievable goal given the limited time allotted is the mapping of rights. By that Ms Connors means identify the victim and find out what happened to the victim or victims case. Ideally the victim becomes a survivor. In order to facilitate this goal and correct practices, education, expert help and communication is essential to popularize the awareness campaign in any given community.

During the question and answer period many significant points were mentioned: the need for victims to have a voice, the most vulnerable were the most victimized (children from war torn areas and refugee camps), those with disabilities, transgender and sexual orientation, not to be stigmatized if reporting an incident, and blaming the victim, to name a few.

In order to address these issues outreach is essential, most especially directed toward young people who will continue this important work. Universal guidelines must be established with victims rights standardized. Abuse reporting must be encouraged and a way to address the problem of what is NOT reported. People and systems must be held accountable. Definitions of abuse must be made clear to understand the grey areas such as in harassment. It is significant to destigmatize the victim, understand that abuse cuts across all social classes and how to raise money to continue this work.

And finally, the United Nations has a strict ‘no excuses, zero tolerance’ approach.

Thoughts and Musings on Listening to Jane Connor, Assistant Secretary General, UN Victims' Rights Advocate on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Martha Nicholson"We are deeply entrenched in this time of hearing stories about power and gender and abuse of power against genders." New York Times, February 1, 2018

The rape of women and girls, as a feature of war, has become normative in many parts of the world. With greater shame the transgressions of UN peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic and Mauritania have come to light this past fall. Since 2015 complaints have persisted and gone virtually "un-handled" by the countries whose troops were involved.

"Systematic abuse in peacekeeping threatens to undermine the UN's fundamental mission in the country- to protect civilians" Richard Bennett, Head of Amnesty International's UN office. December 16, 2015.

"Any form of sexual misconduct is always about power. It is always about being able to get away with it." Jane Connor January 18, 2018

​I turned the clock back twenty three years to 1995, to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing: Strategic Objective L7: Eradicate violence against the Girl Child

Enter Jane Connor. She fought long and hard to establish the sexual exploitation and abuse initiative at the UN. She has made it happen and now is working to get it forged and going.She expressed with heartfelt sincerity the absolute commitment to put victims first and the profound sense of shame she experienced about the assaults, and how it shamed the entire UN community.

Her compassion is matched by an astute intelligence and clarity. Both smart and savvy, she understands the initiative must be in partnership with pre-existing organizations in the UN, NGO's and civil society. She needs to raise money! A great deal of it!She is quite realistic about the challenges facing her in meeting the needs of victims from different countries and varied cultures, where rape victims are often ostracized and shunned by their communities. She described her "feet on the ground" trips to Haiti, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo accompanied by advocates from those countries, assessing what the needs are and how care and treatment of victims can be effectively implemented.

This road is long and steep. I was extremely impressed with Jane Connor...she is bright, articulate, extremely clear, genuinely concerned and lives in a tiny office above the library.

When people asked questions she intensely focused in on what they were saying....an excellent listener. Her responses were thoughtful and considered.

Her best comment however, in this world of disarray and violence, she shared her secret that "she is an optimist by disposition!" This most daunting task and the woman are well matched.

I left the talk with both affection and respect for this formidable person, a serious interest in following the progress of the initiative and amazed at how much I learned. Much to ponder.

From UN Daily News:

Elephants, giraffes, rhinos and other magnificent mammals targeted in wildlife conservation areas of Central Africa are under threat of extinction, caught in the crosshairs of armed groups and highly-militarized poachers, the United Nations environment wing warned on Friday. “The importance of engaging local communities in fighting poaching, and of enhancing their alternative livelihoods, has now been widely recognized across various national, regional and global fora” said Bianca Notarbartolo of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).“But such commitments have yet to be matched by enough effective implementation,” she added.

UNEP’s warning comes in the wake of the release last month by the non-governmental organization Traffic of a report reflecting the grim reality the negative impact of armed groups on wildlife in Central Africa. As recently as three decades ago, thousands of elephants strode majestically across the wildlife conservation areas of Central Africa. Today, their population has been decimated, according the 2017 report.In the 1980s, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Garamba National Park was home to 20,000 elephants. That number has dwindled to an estimated 1,100 – 1,400 today.

The situation appears even grimmer for the giraffes. In many African societies, the flywhisk, usually made from the animal’s tail, is a symbol of authority. The flywhisk from the Kordofan giraffe is particularly prized, putting this species in danger from poachers and other armed groups. Consequently, only about 40 giraffes remain in the Garamba Park. Some of the armed non-State groups and militia operating in the restive region include Sudan’s Janjaweed militia, Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army, Central African Republic’s rival Anti-Balaka and Seleka fighters, as well as Sudan’s People’s Liberation-In Opposition and poachers – making conservation a dangerous undertaking.

Chimpanzees have also not been spared from the onslaught. The population of eastern chimpanzees in eastern the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has declined by 80 to 98 per cent, mainly because of poaching for bushmeat – attributed to demand for protein, particularly intense around artisanal mining and logging camps.

The dual effect of insufficient nutrition, coupled with mining pollution is likely to exacerbate the threat to the region’s biodiversity, resulting in a downward spiral that could jeopardize future livelihoods of numerous local communities.

In May 2016, UNEP and other UN partners launched the Wild for Life campaign, which has been raising awareness, promoting the enactment and enforcement of laws, and increasing support for efforts by local communities to halt the illegal trade in wildlife. Elephants and Rhinos are among the species targeted by the campaign.

“Strengthening the role of local communities in wildlife management should be at the centre of any strategy to combat illegal trade in wildlife and to secure wildlife and biodiversity for the future,” stressed Ms. Notarbartolo. ​ January 2018

Women from WCA, International Caucus, and NYC Chapter in Women's March

"SIGNS OF CREATIVE RESISTANCE AT THE 2018 WOMEN'S MARCH" Hyperallergic by Hrag Vartanian (Jan 22, 2018)One of the most impressive displays at the New York Women's March was by We Make America. I asked Deborah Stein about how it all came together: "The signs were made by us....Julie Peppito was a driving force as was Joyce Kozloff, Rachel Selekman, Nancy Chunn, John Schettino, and I and about 30 other people collaborated and came up with these ideas. We had so many working ideas we just decided to do them all and stage them together: Pussy Gate, big cats, the Big Blue Waves as a call for people to vote in the midterms, women surfers and the bald eagles and naming victims of police brutality -- as well as all the progressive women candidates we knew of to write on the signs. We basically just decided to have the waves storm the pussy gate!" (photo by Deborah Stein)_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE #8​ TWO MORE IMPORTANT SHOWS INCLUDING UN PROGRAM MEMBERS​____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WOMEN ON THE MOVE transforms a 26-ft truck into a mobile billboard and resource center to address sexual assault, harassment and domestic violence. Our current emphasis is on the particular challenges faced by women whose experiences are the most marginalized: those who often fear reporting due to retaliation, fraught relationships with law enforcement, stigma, or fear of detention and deportation.

The WOMEN ON THE MOVE billboard truck will traverse Los Angeles before arriving at the Main Museum. There will be events throughout the day including guest speakers, street interventions and video screenings. Volunteers will engage people passing by in conversation and offer free artist-designed posters. Participants will also have access to a resource center equipped with videos, oral histories, informational materials, artwork and posters from the Center for the Study of Political Graphics.

Fortifying the fight to end sexual assault and harassment demands including the voices of those most marginalized!

UPDATE #9

Nigerian Women Artists at UN

​9 March 2018

Three Nigerian women will spotlight themes such as human trafficking, suicide bombing, and sexism and sexual harassment at the United Nations, showing the strength of women as agents of change in African societies often dominated by men.

“We have to see ourselves as part of the solution, not just as women reserved for sex or for the kitchen,” author and Queen Blessing Itua told UN News ahead of a special event planned for this Sunday in the UN General Assembly Hall.

“Unity in Diversity: An Evening of Art and Hope with Nigerian Women” will feature excerpts from Ms. Itua’s book “We Are the Blessings of Africa,” as well as monologues from Ifeoma Fafunwa’s HEAR WORD! and Nadine Ibrahim’s films “Tolu” and “Through Her Eyes.” The event is organized by UN Women, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Nigerian Mission to the UN, with other partners. “Africa is a diverse continent, rich with different countries and different cultures, and natural resources. Africa has the talent – men and women,” said Ms. Itua. “When men in Africa look at women, women are reserved just in the kitchen or at home. So there’s a need to shift thinking that women can be powerful agents of development, then they’re able to support and empower women.

“If women understand that they have a critical role to play, they do not see themselves as just wives or women at home, they also raise up into mental engagement with the men and hopefully strategize about developing our Mother Land,” Ms. Itua continued. Born in Nigeria and living in the United States, Ms. Itua said she wants to create awareness and give voice to women who do not have a platform to speak out about social ills, particularly rural women.

Her latest film, Mrs. Adams, – which will premiere during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) next week – follows human trafficking routes in Nigeria and Europe. It is meant to be a statement not just about brutalization of women and sexual violence, but also highlight the economic reasons that people choose to migrate in the first place – to change some of the misinterpretations about exploitative work practices, forced labour and smuggling.

The issue is personal, Ms. Itua said. She hails from Edo state, which recently inaugurated a migration resource centre, and which has been cast in the spotlight after reports of Nigerians from that area being sold in modern slave markets in Libya. “As an African woman, I believe that my goal is to work with other women in creating awareness. Together we are stronger. Working together to be stronger to change the narrative coming out of Africa,” Ms. Itua said.

She will be joined this Sunday by 24-year-old Nadine Ibrahim, whose film Through Her Eyes follows the internal struggle of a 12-year-old female suicide bomber in northern Nigeria. Ms. Ibrahim, who is a Muslim, has said that she wants people to understand the rich and beautiful culture surrounding women, Islam and north-eastern Nigeria.

The film was filmed with security on location and after the original actress’s mother pulled the daughter out of the film for fear of safety.The Sunday night event will also feature Ifeoma Fafunwa, whose stage play “HEAR WORD! Naija Women Talk True” is a collection of monologues based on true-life stories of Nigerian women challenging social, cultural and political norms in the country. A line from the play declares: “I have a vital contribution to my nation’s transformation. I am a force, a tidal wave, and I won’t hide. My destiny is not for you to decide.”

Speaking to UN News from the airport enroute to New York, Ms. Fafunwa said it was incredibly relevant for HEAR WORD! to be showcased at the UN. “Gender parity is top of mind and women around the world are collaborating more than ever on change. It is wonderful for Nigerian women to play a role in highlighting these issues at the CSW [session] where persons who can affect policy from all over the world will convene.” The award-winning playwright added that the timing is particularly relevant given that Nigerians are grabbling with the abduction of another 100 girls by Boko Haram. “It is important that we join in initiating these discussions. It also presents an opportunity to shift perceptions about what is possible for Nigeria and Nigerian women,” Ms. Fafunwa added. Cognizant of the many young women who will be looking at the UN during the coming two weeks of the CSW, Ms. Fafunwa reflected on the possibilities that youth hold. “I think young women have the biggest potential to create the change the world needs now – on every front. They are closest to the media and have the tools to be empowered, to connect and communicate. This is their time and as agreed, the time is now! Their votes count and collectively, they can make demands,” Ms. Fafunwa said. “When I was younger, I felt disempowered and disconnected from leadership. That is not where we should be now.”

Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present the exhibit “EVIL PLASTIC”, featuring fine art made primarily from plastic trash. The heart of this exhibit is the message of the three R's: Reduce/Reuse/Recycle. The exhibit will open March 27th and continues through April 21st with a reception March 29, 6-8pm, a dance performance April 5th at 7PM & an Art Talk Saturday April 21st at 4PM. 10% of sales of these artworks in this exhibit will be given to an environmental organization fighting the evils of plastic.

“EVIL PLASTIC” attempts to say it straight: plastic trash has come to be a primary force in the destruction of our environment. The ocean is filled with gyres of plastic floating like islands and harboring dangers that lure fish, birds and sea mammals with a promise of food that has no nourishment. Coral reefs are being chocked by plastic debris. It is up to humans to master their creative energies to devise solutions to this eminent threat of annihilation.

Slowly we are beginning to develop compostable plastic or recycling & upcycling these materials into useful objects but will we do so quickly enough?. In the North Pacific Ocean, there are 6x more plastic debris than plankton. We have an island in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch composed mostly of plastic. 10% of the plastic we use yearly ends up in the ocean.Artists have long used trash as a medium but their message in this exhibit is clear. All these works are created primarily from plastic debris. Some of the works speak through the mere use of these materials, others are more decisive in their message of the evil of plastic if left untethered.Since 1994, the changing groups of artists in these environmentally conscious exhibits, have opened a dialogue through their art making, about the importance of protecting the environment. “Art from Detritus”, or art from waste, was conceived by artist/ curator Vernita Nemec, that same year in Portland Oregon during the annual conference of the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and presented in the lobby of a recycled Sears Roebuck building, the corporate head quarters for municipal waste & recycling there. Since then, the exhibit has re-occurred with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, the Puffin Foundation and sponsorship by the NRC. Past Detritus exhibitions have occurred in Pittsburgh, Kansas City MO, Phoenix AZ, Turners Falls MA and NYC.

See more information and images of past Detritus shows at www.ncognita.com.Vernita Nemec, a.k.a. Vernita N'Cognita, is a visual & performance artist, a curator, the director of Viridian Artists and formerly the Director of Artists Talk on Art (ATOA). She is also on the board of Advisors of ATOA & Soho20.

I first started covering John Bolton in 2005. At the time, the United Nations was gearing up for its largest-ever meeting of heads of state to mark the organization’s 60th anniversary. The fete was to take place the annual United Nations General Assembly that September, the focal point of which was a major package of reforms that had been painstakingly negotiated by countries prior to the September summit.But weeks before presidents and prime ministers were to arrive to celebrate the successful signing of these reforms, John Bolton entered the picture. Bolton was granted a recess appointment by George W. Bush on August 5, just as negotiations entered their final stages.

The talks were immediately thrown into disarray. Bolton inserted hundreds of objections to a late draft of the agreement, creating new “red lines” for the United States where none had previously existed. His objections covered issues big and small — even on semantics. For example, he rejected the mere mention of a poverty-alleviation program called the “Millennium Development Goals.” He refused to budge from his maximalist position on this and every other edit he made to the document.

At the time, he seemed to relish in the chaos that he had sewn. During late night press encounters he would quip “All night, all right!”, as if his goal was less to negotiate in good faith and more to just drag out the negotiations as a deadline loomed.Eventually, as I reported at the time, then-Secretary General Kofi Annan got so fed up with Bolton’s antics that he called then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and asked her to reign him in. She did. The reform packages passed at the eleventh hour.

That incident presaged Bolton’s entire tenure at the UN. The memoir he wrote of his experience at the UN was titled “Surrender is Not an Option.” But Bolton’s time at the UN suggests that, to him, the natural give and take of diplomacy is akin to “surrender” and must be avoided at all costs. Understanding how he performed his job at the UN gives us big clues as to how he might approach the job as National Security Advisor to which he has just been named.

At the United Nations, Bolton demonstrated a profoundly zero-sum view of international relations. Other countries’ gains — no matter how insignificant — were ipso-facto America’s losses. This upended traditional alliances at the UN. Typically the United States and its European allies would band together in negotiations that reflected common interests. But Bolton was never willing to give an inch and accept the kinds of trade-offs proposed by American allies. In his memoir, he reserves his harshest criticism and deepest vitriol not for the representatives from Iran or Venezuela, but for his British counterpart, UK Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, whom he mercilessly pillories as an “EU Roid.”